15 month checkup

WE went to a new doctor's office today for Marcus' 15 month check up. Her name is Dr Pai & she was Marcus' pediatrician in the hospital. She made a wonderful impression on us from the beginning so when we were in the position of having to choose a new doc (because of our vaccine choices) we immediately thought of her.
Marcus is now about 30 inches and 21.5 pounds. He is doing great in all areas- eating, development, growth, etc He got a polio vaccine and was so brave! Dr Pai had some great suggestions for improving our night sleep like having dad take over the nighttime wakeups and bringing a water bottle to soothe. We've heard similar things from other people we've asked so we're going to give it a try starting tonight.
Wish us luck!!!
Nah- just have a drink for us!

15 months

Wow! What a month this has been. Marcus is doing so many new things- he is standing on his own for longer periods now although they are still usually when he is distracted enough that doesn't realize he is doing it. He has taken a few steps here and there. He is answering yes/no questions- Yeah & a very decisive Nah! Hope we can get these responses on tape at some point because they are pretty distinctive. He went on his first carnival rides- ferris wheel & big slide. He is still a great eater and we are looking forward to our doctor appointment on Friday to find out how much he weighs. We're thinking about 22 pounds. He says ball, balloon, oval, squirrel, star, car, truck, moon, innahr (in there or on there), mam ma, & da da or gah. He signs for please, more, milk, tree, refrigerator, potty, & others which I'll have to fill in as he does them again. He is climbing the stairs and getting off the bed & couch "feet first" very well. He walks with his bus and flies around the house in his walker. He is helping us harvest the herbs in the garden and always wants to pick the tomatoes. He enjoyed several weeks of picking berries with Grandma & Grandpa & Grammy in the backyard and on walks. He loves to share things with his animals- food, drinks, sights, breezes. And he burps them sometimes too.


His chores include throwing his dirty clothes in the basket, cleaning up his toys at the end of the day, feeding the fish, setting up for bath (sometimes), & watering the plants outside. Our library opened back up and that has been wonderful! MAV is loving it. And we celebrated Aunt Teta's birthday- what a great time we had just being together.

words?

It seems now that Marcus sometimes says words. Here are the ones we think we're hearing regularly...
more
mommom
water wawa
rabbit
grammy/grandma
car
And some signs since about the beginning of March (I know, bad mommy/blogger!)
more
Eat
ball
table
pointing at stuff came a bit later but he's got it now!
It really is great to be able to communicate a bit more and he doesn't get as frustrated as often now.

New Year's Surprise

All I want for New Year's is a new tooth! Marcus is showing his first tooth on the lower right. It hasn't QUITE broken through but Aunt Teta spotted it today. We're so excited.
Happy New Year!













And just because I can't resist... here is one more picture of MAV on New Year's Day.

Christmas

Marcus' first christmas was so much fun! On our way into Danbury we stopped at Klaff's where aunt Terry works and met her coworkers including Stacy, Judy, Lisa, & John. They were so nice & welcomed us like old friends. We spent most of christmas eve at Lynn's. Marcus loved being around all the people and stayed up until about 11.30! Everyone was impressed with him- he was cheerful even though he was exhausted. He is such a people person & it shows!
He got so many fun and thoughtful gifts... I'll post a list later.











When we woke up on Christmas morning, Marcus had so much fun with grampy playing with the trains and the remote control cars!









Then we had a delicious breakfast and Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Mike came over. Joe captured the resemblance between Marcus & Mike at their first meeting- quite striking!









We packed up and headed over the G&G's house for more delicious food and good company. What a great day! I think Marcus has decided he LIKES christmas- A LOT!!!

Seven Months accomplishments

Marcus has learned to give "high fives" and kisses. He is starting to get snuggly and gives hugs. When he is excited he squeals- this reaction is contagious & makes everyone smile!
He is trying so hard to crawl but nothing yet. When he does get up on hands and knees, he goes backwards. He is really into watching the fish and loves to eat everything and anything- broccoli rabe is the latest surprise. He is eating oatmeal and some other food once or twice a day plus tastes of whatever we're eating.
His sleep is SOOOO much better than it was a few weeks ago. He is sleeping in his crib only and sleeps from 7ish to 7.30 with one feeding/wake up when we goto sleep and another around 3, 4, or 5AM. If he cries it is only for a short time. Naps are better too! He is on a three hour schedule which is roughly awake for two hours and asleep for one.
Everyday is the best age. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Love, mommabear
PS Happy 5 years, Poppabear. You're the best! I love you so.

A cold

Looks like Marcus has a cold. His first since the one we all had in the first days of his life. That's not so bad I guess but it is still hard to see him all congested. He is still in good spirits- what a good little guy! Get well soon, Marcus!!!
Hope we didn't share germs with the family yesterday...